Dismiss Pistons' chances next season at your own peril

Antonio McDyess cried over the passing of another title run on June 3, his dreams dashed for a third consecutive season.

He had joined Detroit on the heels of its first title, so he was reminded by his new team's accomplishment daily. All he had to do was glimpse over at Rasheed Wallace's locker, where a WWE replica championship was proudly hung.

If the Pistons flounder again, Flip Saunders will get the brunt of the blame. (Getty Images)

McDyess, a superstar in Denver before a devastating knee injury in late 2001 ended those days, wanted only to take in that view from the top. He's still waiting.

San Antonio ruined that year's quest. Miami followed in 2006, and a few months ago, Cleveland broke the Pistons' spirit.

"Tonight, I accepted that I'm never gonna win," McDyess said after Detroit's elimination at Quicken Loans Arena. "I felt this team was the one to get us there. We had all the chances in the world and we blew it. It seems like it's over for me now."

Detroit was dead. I buried them. So did most of you.

C'mon, you remember. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, LeBron James went through the entire Pistons team, carting them to the end of the road. In Game 6, the rest of the Cavs joined in and exposed them as washed up. Wallace lost his mind, almost eating referee Ed F. Rush. It was painful to watch, and the locker room scene was no prettier.

Chauncey Billups looked to be a goner. McDyess, too.

Joe Dumars wasn't about to repeat the mistake made following the run of the Bad Boys in the early '90s, where the team was allowed to age its way into inferiority. Not on his watch. Rebuilding made sense.

But as the dust clears and a new season looms, a sequel is indeed in the works.

McDyess was the first to stay, saying something to the effect of "where else am I going to go?" The Pistons signed him to an extension. Good buddy Billups followed, signing on to pilot the ship for four more years and declaring Detroit was "where he always wanted to be."

It looks like he'll get his wish. He's signed through his 35th birthday.

The current Pistons core is going to grow old together. That includes Wallace, despite rumors that management was fed up with his distractions. He's family, and they understand his tirades stem from his unwavering contempt for losing. I'd find it hard to believe he'll sign anywhere else when his contract expires in 2009.